TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT COMMUNICATION

6/14/2015
Introduction
Over the years, the education systems around the world have made
advancements in communication techniques that support the busy lives of
teachers, students and parents by the use of technology. According to Lewis
(2002), The No Child Left Behind Act recognized the critical need for schoolhome communication and emphasized that teachers are required to
correspond with all families in the classroom environment. This allows a
collaborative academic learning plan to be established which will help
support the academic success of all students (p. 259). New teachers
entering the educational field must understand the importance of keeping
communication open between the school and home environments by the use
of various enhancements in technical devices while upholding the
importance of communication Internet security and safety.
Technology to Enhance Communication
Remind (Smart Device Apps)
Remind is an innovative app that allows teachers and parents to stay
connected throughout the day by using their smart phones or smart devices.
This app provides teachers the opportunity to send text messages to all
students and parents to inform them of important classroom assignments or
reminders in a safe and secure manner.
This app categorizes text messages by subject matter which helps
establish organizational skills for students. Remind provides students with
an instant and direct message that cannot be ignored. This allows them to
keep track of upcoming classroom deadlines and decreases procrastination.
For many parents, it is very difficult and stressful to get information out
of their children about homework and assignments throughout the week
(Beverly, 2003, p. 15). Parents also benefit from this interactive app by
being able to stay connected to their childrens progress and responsibilities
in school. This allows the parents to receive the same exact message from
the teacher as his or her child does about the classroom agenda. The

parents are then able to reinforce reminders to their children of classroom

assignments or events that are due throughout the week in the home
environment.
Remind is a useful app that connects teachers to the global community
by providing an easy and flexible school-home communication support. With
this communication mechanism, teachers and parents do not have to waste
time talking over the phone or setting up a conference to talk about
students completion of homework or lack of.
Google for Education (Classroom Website)
Google for Education is an online website and resource for teachers,
students, and parents to stay connected inside and outside of the classroom.
When using Google for Education, teachers are able to create a secure class
group to share important class information to all parties.
This website provides students an easy and flexible way to find all their
classes they are completing throughout the year. They are also able to
upload the classroom syllabus and assignment rubrics that the teacher
provides. Students and teachers are able to communicate through live chat
and video messages. This allows the students to their instructor questions
directly. They are also able to use the teacher videos as a guide if he or she
is having difficulty with an academic task.
Classroom websites allow parents to stay up to date and active with
the daily activities happening in their childrens school. Fish (2003) states,
Online student management portals allow families the opportunities to
extend their involvement in classroom activities by staying linking to
classroom regulations, requirements, and rules (p. 47). By being able to
know their childrens academic agendas and requirements, parents are able
to support their childrens own learning needs by balancing school and home
life. They will be able to help their children develop a schedule that allows
sufficient time to thrive in both their social and academic development.
Google for Education provides everyone the opportunities to
communicate with others around the world. Students in a classroom are able
to create documents and attach them digitally for others to view and edit.
Classrooms around the world are able to stay connected and form ePals by
chatting live through text messaging or participating in resources on iCloud.
This allows students to enhance their cultural perspectives by seeing

similarities and differences in how children learn in different regions of the

world.
Communication Internet Security and Safety
Educators must provide their students and parents with appropriate
communication Internet security and safety measures due to the fact that
technology and the Internet are easily accessible in the classroom
environment. According to DeFranco (2011), Instructors must be willing to
take responsibly of being active advocates of teaching their students how to
be responsible and safe on the Internet (DeFranco, 2011, p. 53). Teachers
can send home resources for parents to set up restriction settings on all
technological devices in the home environment. They can also teach
students what personal information is allowed to be shared on the Internet
and what should not be. In the classroom, educators can set up Wifi
restrictions that do not enable students to access unwanted websites or
inappropriate content on the Internet. With these precautions, students and
parents will be able to understand how the Internet can positively and
negatively affect their lives.
Concluding Paragraph
Technology can help improve communication and Internet security in the
classroom and home environments for teachers, students, and parents.
Smart devices and apps establish communication lines that are flexible,
more efficient and easily monitored. Online websites provide the opportunity
for all groups to be as active in classroom involvement as much as they want
to be. Technology in the classroom can continue to increase parental
involvement and foster the academic success of each individual student in
their future careers.

References
Beverly, D. (2003). Making the connection with parents. School Business
Affairs, 69(4),
15-17.

DeFranco, J. F. (2011). Teaching Internet Security, Safety in Our Classrooms.

Techniques:
Connecting Education and Careers, 86(5), 52-55.
Fish, T. (2003). Building a web site from the inside. Learning & Leading with
Technology, 30(5), 46-49.
Lewis, A. C. (2002). Building Connections with Parents. Phi Delta Kappan,
84(4), 259-60.